Desert Rain (16 page)

You look thirsty, he said, and began to lead her away.

Stan refused to let go of Hollys other hand.

Not so fast, buddy, he protested.

Holly glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Beth quietly leading Jim and the other
young man toward the buffet.

Cyn didnt notice. She was still staring in total disbelief. Holly smiled gently at her
before turning to Stan. Im sure theres more than one glass of champagne at the bar, she
said. Why dont you join us? He didnt have to be asked twice. Less than three minutes after
Holly had said hello, Cyn was left standing alone.

By the time Holly disengaged from the disappointed men, Roger, Jerry, and three of Rogers
models had arrived.

Rogers immaculate good looks attracted as many womens glances as Holly attracted mens.
When they danced together, people stared. The combination of light and dark was arresting.

As always, Holly enjoyed Rogers easy wit and conversation, but her eyes kept searching the
pavilion for Linc.

Missing someone? Roger asked, his tone playful and his blue eyes intent. Mmm, she said
absently. She noticed that Cyn had collected another group of men. Excuse me, Holly said.
I have some claws to trim.

Will you be long? he asked.

Her lips curved in an icy smile.

Five minutes, she said. Ten at most.

Im devastated.

Uh-huh, she said, unimpressed. Why dont you make some women happy and dance with them?

Before he could answer, she had turned away and was heading quickly toward Cyn. A few
minutes later Holly walked away from Cyn, followed by several men, leaving the petite
blond alone.

The scene repeated itself, with variations in the cast of men, several more times in the
next hour and a half. Only two things didnt changeRogers presence and Hollys anxiety about
Lincs absence.

Roger watched with increasing perplexity and amusement while Holly repeatedly stripped Cyn
of admirers, herded them to the other end of the pavilion, and went back to looking for
Linc.

It was futile. He was nowhere to be found.

Holly was certain that she sensed Lincs presence. But each time she looked, she couldnt
find him.

Roger appeared at her elbow as soon as she shed the latest admirers she had stripped from
Cyn.

Why do I get the feeling you have something against the little blond with the big . . .
sequins? he asked, laughter rippling beneath his words.

Holly smiled with some bitterness.

Yes, she said, I suppose you could say that.

Competition for the cowboy? he asked lightly.

Before answering, Holly looked around the pavilion once more. A certainty of Lincs
presence kept shivering across her nerves, telling her that he was nearby. Yet she couldnt
find him in the brightly lit tent.

Holly looked over her shoulder. There was only darkness outside. No one was on the lighted
walkway leading to the pavilion.

Sighing, she turned back to Roger.

Its a long story, she said.

One corner of his mouth turned up.

Smashing, he said. It will be ten or fifteen minutes before Cyn collects enough men to
make it worth the walk.

Ill wait.

Roger glanced over Hollys shoulder and smiled cynically.

Could be a long wait, he said. Guess she finally figured it out.

Holly turned and saw Cyn leaving the pavilion on Jerrys arm. The photographers smile was
practiced and predatory.

Want to make a last foray? Roger asked.

Wouldnt dream of it, she said, smiling.They deserve each other.

What could Cyn have done to deserve Jerry? Roger asked.

Hollys smile widened. Of all the people she knew, Roger was the most likely to enjoy the
story of Cyns discomfort. Overdressed women irritated the designers sense of proportion.

Cyn and Beththats Lincs younger sisterdont like each other, Holly said. Cyn and I were out
shopping. She called Beth a plain little thing.

Beth? Which one is she?

The young lady in the turquoise skirt and glorious golden hair standing next to the tall
redhead.

Oh, that one. Shes ravishing, like an unopened rose.

Beth thought she was plain.

Roger looked at Holly in disbelief.

When I told Beth she wasnt plain, Cyn asked what I could know about it, since I was as
plain as a concrete slab.

Rogers eyes widened.

Im speechless, he said.

And meant it.

The upshot of it was, Holly said, that I bet Cyn I could have men standing in line to talk
to me at this dance.

Roger laughed and laughed.

She called you plain? he asked incredulously. I suspected she wasnt very smart, but I
didnt know she was blind.

Hollys smile was as brilliant as her eyes. I do look a bit different when Im not dressed
up, she said demurely. That, Lincs cold voice said behind her, is the understatement of
the century.

Roger looked from Hollys stricken face to Lincs narrow-eyed fury.

Holly simply looked at the man she loved.

Despite his obvious anger, Linc was handsome enough to break her heart. His evening
clothes had been tailored to fit the long, lean lines of his body. Every time he moved,
the material outlined another aspect of his masculine grace and power.

Roger looked at the two of them, so consumed by each other that no one else existed. Yet
Roger knew that Lincs anger was as real and potentially dangerous as lightning.

With a soft curse, Roger put a finger under Hollys chin, turning her head until she was
looking at him rather than Linc.

I dont know why hes mad, Roger said, but instinct tells me that his bite is worse than any
bark Ive ever heard. If you need first aid, you know my room number.

She said nothing.

Are you listening, Shannon? he asked softly.

She nodded.

He gave Linc an unreadable look.

If she comes to me, Roger said coolly, youre a bloody idiot. Ill wrap her in silk bandages
and youll never see her again.

Roger stared back into Hollys eyes. They were tarnished gold, mysterious, sad. Wary. Some
men are as dangerous as they look, Roger said. Be careful, love. He kissed her lips
lightly, brushed past Linc, and disappeared into the darkness beyond the pavilion. Linc
made a harsh sound.

Its a wonder that the tame Viking isnt immune to beautiful models by now, he said.

As he spoke, he looked Holly over with a thoroughness that made her weak. His eyes
lingered on the fine chains that dipped and quivered between her breasts with each breath
she took.

Before I even got out of the house, he said, people were coming up to me and telling me
what a charmer Beths friend Holly North was. Not just the men, but the women, too. They
all fell in love with you.

Breath held, Holly waited, hoping against hope.

So I hurried out here to enjoy you, he said. I couldnt find you. I found someone else,
though. Whats that name again? Shannon?

Yes, she said in a low voice. Then, more clearly, Yes. Shannon. My mothers maiden name. My
middle name. Shannon. No secret, Linc. You knew the name six years ago.

He muttered a single, vicious word.

No secret? he snarled. Christ, what kind of a fool do you think I am?

He heard his own words and laughed with a bitterness that made her flinch. Then he looked
at her with cold, hungry eyes, the eyes of a predator.

Scratch that question, he said savagely. You already know what kind of fool I am. Im the
fool who thought you were a virgin.

I am. Yeah. Right. Holly started to speak, but could only gasp as his fingers shot out and
clenched around her wrists. No, Linc said coldly. Not one more lying word. See you at
midnight,Shannon . He dropped her wrists and strode into the crowd without a backward look.

The rest of the dance moved by in a haze of misery for Holly. Even Beths transparent glee
at Cyns rout brought only a small smile to Hollys lips. She kept up the facade of charm
and pleasure as best she could, but her heart was counting the minutes to midnight.

Linc was like the music, present everywhere.

No matter how often she turned around, he was there, watching her the way a cat watches a
butterfly gliding just beyond its reach.

She could only hope that by midnight he would have cooled off enough to listen to her.

When I explain that I was dancing and flirting only to win a bet for Beth,she told
herself,Linc will understand.

When I tell him that it was the truce he insisted on that kept me silent about the details
of my modeling career, hell get over his anger.

When I tell him how much I love him

Her thoughts scattered as a hand closed on her arm just below the gleaming gold chains.

Its midnight, Linc said.

His voice, like his expression, was remote.

He pulled her toward the dance floor with a strength that was just short of bruising. When
they were in the center of the floor, he turned Holly to face him.

Smile, Shannon, he said. Youve smiled at every other damn man tonight, why not at me? Her
lips trembled. You matter too much to me for easy smiles, she whispered. Lincs lips formed
a cynical curve.

Very good, Shannon, he said. Ill have to compliment Roger. Hes made you a sure winner in
the Pleasure Riding class.

The double meaning of his comment went through Holly like a knife.

Roger has never been my lover! she said furiously.

Keep it up, Shannon. Make the kind of scene my stepmother loved to make. Ill give it right
back to you in ways youll never forget.

You might think of Beth, Holly said in a tight, low voice.

The one who looks just like her mother tonight? he asked. Id rather not, thanks.

Lincs arm closed around Holly. Moving with him because she had no choice, they began
dancing to the lyric strains of the same ancient waltz that had begun the evening.

She moved awkwardly. It was impossible to dance any other way because her head was tilted
back and held by the pressure of Lincs arm over her long hair. She stumbled, wincing as
her hair jerked against the vise of his arm around her waist.

When she reached back with her left hand to free her hair, he abruptly pulled her closer.

Holly tripped and fell against him. When she tried to protest, his arm closed so
ruthlessly around her that she could barely draw a breath.

When she tried to break free, he simply lifted her feet off the ground. She had always
known Linc was strong, but had never thought he would use his strength against her like

this. He left her just enough room to breathe, just enough leverage so that her feet didnt
dangle, just enough freedom of movement so that her imprisonment wasnt obvious.

She opened her mouth to speak again, only to gasp as he jerked her against his unyielding
body in a casual display of power that forced her to fight for breath.

Dont say a word, Linc said.

He looked down at Holly with eyes that were dark with memories, glittering with reflected
light and anger.

If I hear one more lie out of those pretty lips he said. Abruptly, he said no more. His
arm kept tightening, squeezing the breath out of her. The hand holding hers tightened
mercilessly.

Tears magnified Hollys golden eyes. She turned pale, but made no sound. She didnt want to
ruin Beths victory by making a scene. Nor would she lower herself to the level of Lincs
memories of his stepmother.

Teeth clenched, Holly waited until she could talk to him alone and tell him what a stupid,
stubborn son of a bitch he was.

He saw the change in her eyes and felt the stiffness in the body that had always yielded
so deliciously to his. He realized that he was holding her hard, much too hard.

What am I so angry about?he asked himself silently, sardonically.For days Ive been worried
about frightening a virgin with my hunger.

No worries now.

Abruptly, he loosened his hold. Holly took a deep breath and cautiously moved her head,
trying to ease the unnatural angle of her neck. His arm shifted, freeing her hair.

Then his hand slid underneath her hair, caressing the bare skin of her back. Hidden by the
long, silky fall of her hair, his fingers probed beneath the open waist of her dress until
he could feel the taut curves of her buttocks.

With a throttled sound Linc forced Hollys hips against his. The message of his desire was
unmistakable through the thin silk of her dress, yet his face showed nothing but contempt.

She struggled to put some distance between them. She succeeded only in rubbing over him in
a way that both aroused and embarrassed her.

No, Linc. Please, she said, pushing futilely against his strength. You danced with every
other man, he said, his fingers probing intimately beneath her dress. Why not

me?

I didnt dance like this!

Air rushed out of her as she was once again yanked against his body.

I said no more lies, Shannon.

Im not

A liar? he interrupted coldly. The hell you arent. All beautiful women are faithless liars.

Anger coursed through Holly like lightning.

Its your party, Linc, she said in a cold voice. If you want a floor show, Ill give you one.

Yeah, I bet you do a sensational striptease.

You lose, she snarled. A down-and-out brawl was more what I had in mind, and to hell with
spoiling Beths victory and not bringing back bad memories of your stepmother.

Hollys voice was loud enough that several other couples looked at them curiously. He
smiled blandly at her, but suddenly she was off her feet again. She didnt bother flailing
about or telling Linc he was holding her too hard. He knew precisely what he was doing.

Deliberately her left hand moved from his shoulder to the place where his head had struck
a boulder two days ago. Her nails scraped lightly over the bruised, still tender skin.

Though she did nothing more, the threat was clear.

His eyes widened in surprise. For a moment he studied her determined expression. He
returned her feet to the floor and loosened his hold on her a bit.

Who taught you to fight dirty? he asked mildly. You. Just now. Oddly, he smiled. There are
other ways, he said.

Holly wondered what Linc meant, but decided that asking would be inviting an argument. She
knew one was coming, but she wanted privacy for it.

Linc loosed his hold on her even more, giving her freedom to dance with him. At first she
moved stiffly, too angry and wary to allow herself to blend with him.

He gathered Hollys body against his with a slow, sensual care that mocked her anger.

You know, he breathed against her hair, I cant decide which is most silkyyour dress, your
hair, or your skin.

His fingertips traced her spine with delicate care, sending showers of sensation through
her.

Linc felt Holly shiver and laughed softly. He brought his left hand in close, so that her
right hand pressed against his chest.

The back of his hand brushed lightly over her breast each time she breathed.

Not all of you is silky, he murmured. Some of you gets delightfully hard.

Hollys breath caught as Lincs knuckle gently circled the tip of her breast. Strands of
pleasure spread through her, bringing a subtle tension to her whole body.

It was no longer his hand at her waist that was holding her close to him, but rather her
own desire to feel his warmth radiating through the thin silk of her dress.

Linc let go of her fingers and filled his palm with the sweet weight of her breast.

Holly knew she should protest, but could only gasp with surprise and pleasure. She shook
her hair until it fell like a dark curtain around her, concealing his hand beneath.

Her soft hair was like a brand against his skin. He groaned, a bare thread of sound
against her ear. His fingernails rasped lightly over silk, then closed around her nipple.

Linc . . . Holly said in soft protest.

Shhh. No one can see.

Lincs hand moved toward the warm gold links that filled the diamond between her breasts.
His fingers eased through the chains, seeking her naked warmth.

Ive wanted to do this since I walked in and saw you, he said huskily.

For an instant Holly was shocked into stillness. She could hardly believe that she was in
a roomful of people with his fingers stroking her naked breasts.

Whatever protest she might have made was lost in a sunburst of sensations that radiated
from the pit of her stomach throughout her body.

Her back arched against his touch in a reflex as old as passion. She felt the tremor that
went through his body, the sudden tension in his muscles that she had learned came from
heightened desire.

I want to taste you, Linc said, holding Holly tightly, his voice thick. I want to slide
over you like that damned witchs dress and then I want to

Abruptly he withdrew his fingers, stopped dancing, and led her toward the nearest exit.

What about your guests? she asked.

I said my goodbyes before midnight.

Beth Holly began.

Beth left with her girlfriend an hour ago. She wont be back until tomorrow. Late.

Holly made no further protests. Her body was still shimmering with the hunger Linc aroused
in her.

The night was thick with clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Raindrops from a recent
shower reflected the walkway lights like crystal tears.

When Holly stopped to gather the hem of her dress out of the reach of puddles, Linc lifted
her into his arms with barely controlled impatience. He walked with long strides toward
the house.

A fold of silk escaped her fingers and fell perilously close to the wet path. She tried to
gather the cloth up again, but she was being held so tightly that she couldnt move.

Linc she began.

No more excuses, he interrupted in a harsh voice. Beth is gone, the guests know their way
home, and Im not going to wait any longer.

Startled by the strain in Lincs voice, she looked his face. Outlined in shadows and white
light, it was the face of a stranger who knew neither kindness nor love.

Dont look at me like that, he said impatiently. We both know the score. Your game of tease
and retreat is over,Shannon . Now its my turn.